Children are defined as people aged between 0 and 14 years of age.[25] In Australia, around one in five people (18% of the whole population) are in this age group.[24]
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a relatively younger age profile than the non-Indigenous population. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children represent 33% of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population and 5.7% of the total child population in Australia.[24][31]
People identifying as belonging to diverse populations may identify across multiple priority population groups. This intersectionality can result in compounding impacts of social, cultural, commercial and environmental determinants of health on cancer experiences and outcomes.
In 2023, it is estimated that 741 children will be diagnosed with cancer, and 87 children will die from cancer. Between 2008 and 2017, the 5-year survival after a cancer diagnosis for children was 87%.[3][32]
Survivors of childhood cancer are at high risk of adverse long-term health conditions due to their cancer and associated treatment. These include second cancers and a range of serious, chronic health conditions that carry significant morbidity and mortality.[32]
Cancers in children are often different from those observed in adults in appearance, site of origin, and response to treatment. They can be caused by DNA changes in cells that occur very early in life, sometimes even before birth. Unlike many cancers in adults, childhood cancers are not strongly linked to lifestyle or environmental factors.[33][34]
Children with cancer and their families have unique needs that require specialist skill, equipment, and services including timely access to palliative care and bereavement support. A significant proportion of children who undergo cancer treatments also experience the risk of infertility.[35] In addition, children with cancer experience many psychosocial challenges due to disruptions in school attendance, recreational activities, and socialisation.[36]
The Australian Cancer Plan aims to improve health equity for children. This includes enhancing research opportunities into the risk factors and potential causes of genetic disorders and childhood cancers and expanding access to risk-modified screening including genomic testing for children. Other aims include improving access to drugs, new treatments and treatments that enable personalised medicine, and providing specialised education and training to healthcare providers to enable clinicians to have appropriate conversations with children and families.
Year: 2019
Author: Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Government
The National Action Plan for the Health of Children and Young People 2020–2030 outlines the national approach to improving health outcomes for all children and young people. It aims to ensure that children and young people from all backgrounds have the same opportunities to fulfil their potential. This includes addressing chronic conditions, such as childhood cancer.
Year: In development
Author: Department of Social Services, Australian Government
The Early Years Strategy (the Strategy) recognises how critical the early years are for children’s development and continued success over their lifetime. The strategy aims to deliver the best possible outcomes for Australian children by helping the Commonwealth create a more integrated, holistic approach to the early years and better support the education, wellbeing and development of children.
Year: 2021
Author: Victorian Department of Health
The Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures 5-year plan aims to support children and young people to be healthy, active, and well. The plan has a strong focus on supporting physical and cognitive development to prevent the onset of chronic diseases in later life.
Year: 2021
Author: Tasmanian Government
Tasmania’s Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy provides direction for the government to improve the wellbeing outcomes for Tasmanian children and young people. One of the focus areas includes enhancing access to health and wellbeing services by establishing a Children’s Cancer Clinical Trials unit.
Year: 2018
Author: Northern Territory Government
The Northern Territory’s Child and Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Strategic Plan aims to protect, improve, and sustain the health and wellbeing of children and young Territorians. The plan advocates for strategic investment and a focus on factors that support children and young people so they can achieve their full potential.
Year: 2017
Author: Queensland Health
The Children’s Health and Wellbeing Services Plan 2018–2028 aims to improve the health status of children and young people in Queensland, while safeguarding the equity of health outcomes and improving service access across the population.
Year: 2014
Author: NSW Health
NSW’s Strategic Health Plan for Children, Young People and Families 2014–24 provides a comprehensive planning, service, and policy roadmap for NSW Health from preconception to 24 years of age, addressing the health of women and their partners during pregnancy, babies, children, and young people in the context of their families and communities.
Year: 2019
Author: Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Government
The National Action Plan for the Health of Children and Young People 2020–2030 outlines the national approach to improving health outcomes for all children and young people. It aims to ensure that children and young people from all backgrounds have the same opportunities to fulfil their potential. This includes addressing chronic conditions, such as childhood cancer.
Year: In development
Author: Department of Social Services, Australian Government
The Early Years Strategy (the Strategy) recognises how critical the early years are for children’s development and continued success over their lifetime. The strategy aims to deliver the best possible outcomes for Australian children by helping the Commonwealth create a more integrated, holistic approach to the early years and better support the education, wellbeing and development of children.
Year: 2021
Author: Victorian Department of Health
The Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures 5-year plan aims to support children and young people to be healthy, active, and well. The plan has a strong focus on supporting physical and cognitive development to prevent the onset of chronic diseases in later life.
Year: 2021
Author: Tasmanian Government
Tasmania’s Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy provides direction for the government to improve the wellbeing outcomes for Tasmanian children and young people. One of the focus areas includes enhancing access to health and wellbeing services by establishing a Children’s Cancer Clinical Trials unit.
Year: 2018
Author: Northern Territory Government
The Northern Territory’s Child and Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Strategic Plan aims to protect, improve, and sustain the health and wellbeing of children and young Territorians. The plan advocates for strategic investment and a focus on factors that support children and young people so they can achieve their full potential.
Year: 2017
Author: Queensland Health
The Children’s Health and Wellbeing Services Plan 2018–2028 aims to improve the health status of children and young people in Queensland, while safeguarding the equity of health outcomes and improving service access across the population.
Year: 2014
Author: NSW Health
NSW’s Strategic Health Plan for Children, Young People and Families 2014–24 provides a comprehensive planning, service, and policy roadmap for NSW Health from preconception to 24 years of age, addressing the health of women and their partners during pregnancy, babies, children, and young people in the context of their families and communities.
Children experience delayed cancer diagnoses, in part because they have difficulty communicating symptoms. Parents and carers report feelings of guilt when it takes multiple appointments before symptoms are appropriately investigated and diagnosis occurs. Delays in diagnosis are exacerbated for children within other priority population groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from diverse backgrounds, children in lower socioeconomic groups, and children living in rural and remote areas.
Children experience delayed cancer diagnoses, in part because they have difficulty communicating symptoms. Parents and carers report feelings of guilt when it takes multiple appointments before symptoms are appropriately investigated and diagnosis occurs. Delays in diagnosis are exacerbated for children within other priority population groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from diverse backgrounds, children in lower socioeconomic groups, and children living in rural and remote areas.
Stakeholders indicated that children and their families are uniquely impacted by a cancer diagnosis, particularly in terms of participation in educational and social activities, disruption to social networks, and limited support for families, including in areas of psychosocial support, palliative care, and bereavement.
Community organisations were identified as a trusted source for children and families to access the care they need where they need it, including when they return home.
Co-designed, tailored health care that enables children and their families to navigate complex health and cancer care, supported by communities, is important to improve experiences and equitable outcomes for children and families affected by cancer.
Children experiencing cancer have unique clinical needs and require specialised assessment and interventions, which can be supported by dedicated care pathways and standards for best practice care.
Resources allocated to childhood cancers need to be increased as part of sustainable funding arrangements, to allow for improvements in early access to new therapies for children. Increased investment into childhood cancer research across the continuum of care is needed, particularly into a new generation of molecularly targeted anti-cancer therapies. The exploration of genomic, functional, biological, and clinical data to drive improved understanding of the growth of childhood cancers was also highly supported.
The health workforce needs to be culturally competent in caring for children with cancer and their families. Increased training and awareness for cancer care practitioners working with children will assist health professionals to understand the importance of social support during a child’s cancer care.
Workforce planning for childhood cancer care needs to be improved to match workforce planning initiatives in adult cancer care.
The lack of funding in dedicated childhood cancer research was noted. This can impact the number of clinicians and medical scientists who might consider entering paediatric cancer research.
The Australian Cancer Plan considers an intersectional and health equity approach for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This is more than recognising the multiple backgrounds, experiences, and ways Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people identify. This approach addresses the way membership of multiple groups may impact people's health and wellbeing needs and ability to access care.
Implementation of each action should consider the compounding impacts of intersectionality across other priority population groups.